Overcoming the obstacles to rooftop solar

The dramatic decline in the cost of solar power, combined have with a better understanding of its financial benefits on the roof solar more attractive to homeowners in the United States. But some clean energy enthusiasts have discovered that the installation of solar on their land is not as easy as it may sound. Trees, skylights, chimneys, roof structures and aesthetic limitations of homeowners associations may complicate the logistics of a solar-electric installation.

"My already built house was not for solar panels," said Jim McDaniels of Colorado Springs, Colorado "My roof may not strong power requirements enough, or big enough or angle, ideal for the solar cells, I mean must meet." AMECO solar shows that the ideal on the roof of carnivores, South-facing roof with asphalt shingles, a few obstacles (such as skylights and openings) and need not for 10 to 15 years to replace.

"I searched had in solar energy for years, but the challenges on location and buildings, in which a second thought made it", said Greg Gerloff of Breckenridge, Colorado

Gerloff and McDaniels are not alone.

A study by the national renewable energy laboratory (NREL) found that only 22 to 27 percent of the living roofs for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are suitable. Customers, their homes with solar built in the eye who stumbled into roadblocks - such as in the value of Robbins, of Harvard, mass.-home on an East-West axis, a future, South solar array to accommodate built. "I do not Bill to carry that trees grow", Robbins said in a segment of life on Earth. And as soon as he removed trees on his land, as well as its neighbors, Robbins 4 kilowatt balance of its total energy consumption would be less than. "We wanted to do that. We like our wooded setting, '' he said.

In addition to the physical logistics, a living system to install can initially enthusiastic proponents of the roof solar to scare off other obstacles such as upfront costs and length of time in Office. Because customers are today for a system that generates electricity for 25 years or longer, a solar system reported buying energy is all environment America like shopping several decades at the same time. The advocacy group also determines that some homeowners only hesitantly in solar invest, because they can move, before paying the system for themselves, or the remaining value of their arrays in the home resale value are included.

After studying the barriers for solar plants on the roof, NREL recognized: "clear, community options are required to access to solar power for tenants, with shady roofs, to expand and those who decide that a residential system in their homeland out of financial or otherwise install."

And the community solar movement started flying.

Publicly-owned solar, the model of Boulder, Colo.-based clean energy of collective (CEC), pioneer residents to have their solar system, through the purchase of plates in a shared array. This model removes the obstacles to rooftop solar, with options to overcome other obstacles such as length of tenure, ongoing maintenance, cost and financial risk.

The customers can choose how much they want to spend based on the number of boards that buy them; and opt for the financing if they so wish. All CEC arrays are fully insured with guaranteed maintenance for the lifetime of the array (between 20 and 50 years of age). If a customer moves, he or she can sell the panels in the utility service area.

These aspects of community solar made an easy decision for McDaniels, bought 25 boards in the Colorado Springs Community solar array.

"Now I worry about the installation and ongoing maintenance of a home solar system," McDaniels said. "If I sell my house, I have can afford a buyer unable, the cost of the panels or do not want to make solar panels on the House."

Gallegos is an outdoor enthusiast, 26 plates in a Breckenridge, Colorado purchased community array. "I'm excited to see the payback in my monthly bill," he said. "I see the panels every day, this is a great reminder to me about my change on the environment."

The original article was posted on the clean energy collective blog.

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DOE Awards $12 Million in the Rooftop Solar Challenge

The SunShot Initiative's Rooftop Solar Challenge will boost installation of solar panels like these shown on a Chicago building.
Credit: Social Security Administration

DOE announced on December 1 its $12 million in funding for the awardees of the Rooftop Solar Challenge. The Challenge supports 22 regional teams in 18 states to spur solar power deployment by cutting red tape. The effort streamlines and standardizes permitting, zoning, metering, and connection processes, while also improves finance options for residential and small commercial rooftop solar systems. This project is part DOE's SunShot Initiative, and is designed to make solar energy more accessible and affordable, increase domestic solar deployment, and position the United States as a leader in the global solar market.

Using a "race to the top" model, the Rooftop Solar Challenge incentivizes the regional awardees to address the differing and expensive permitting, zoning, metering, and connection processes required to install and finance residential and small business solar systems. The 22 teams bring together city, county, and state officials, regulatory entities, private industry, universities, local utilities, and other regional stakeholders to clear a path for rapid expansion of solar energy and serve as models for other communities across the country. The teams will implement step-by-step actions to standardize permit processes, update planning and zoning codes, improve standards for connecting solar power to the electric grid and increase access to financing. Non-hardware costs like permitting, installation, design, and maintenance currently account for up to 40% of the total cost of installed rooftop photovoltaic systems in the United States.

The SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort to make solar cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade. See the DOE press release, a complete list of awardees, and the SunShot Initiative website.

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